Improvement in banjos



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK WV. HARLASS, OF NEWT YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN BANJOS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 49,401, dated August 15, 1865.

To ali whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK W. HAR- LASS, ofthe city and State of New York, have invented, made, and applied to use a certain new and useful Improvement in Banjos, and I do hereby declare the following to be a f'nll, clear, and exact description ot' my said invention, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making in- Figure l is a section ot' my improved banjo, and Figs. 2 and 3 represent partial sections, showing slight variations in the mode of ronstructing said banjo.

Similar marks ot' reference denote the same parts.

The usual mode of constructing banjos has been to draw the ring to which the edges of the parchment head are attached over the cylinder forming the body by means of screws acting on the outside ot' the said cylindrical body. This device is unsightly in its appearance, and the screws are likely to injure the person or clothing in handling the instrument; rapidly.

My invention has for its objt ct the placing ofthe straining-.screws entirely within the cylindrical body ont ot' the way, and so that the appearance ot' the banjo shallbe much handsomer than heretofore. This is accomplished by means of two internal rings, one sustainingl the parchment or drum head, the other receiving the edges ot' such parchment, the tightening bling effected by the separation of' these rings, and the relievingof such head by allowing` the rings to move toward each other.

In the drawings, a is theparchment or head of the banjo, the edges ot' which are attached to the ring b, and c is the ringover which said parchment passes, and the separation ot' these rings strains the head a, as aforesaid. d is the cylinder of the banjo, and c is a portion of the finger-rest, shown by dotted lines.

part of' this specification, where-- In Figs. l and 2 I have represented a third ring, j', attached permanently to the interior back edge ofthe cylinder d, and through this screws g pass, that draw on the ring b to strain the head. These screws may be of any desired kind. I have shown one with the nut fitted to be revolved and the other as the screw fitted to be revolved or the screw may be fitted, as at 71, with a nut in the ring l; and the end ot' the screw acting against the ringe. The rings f and c are kept apart and equidistant by suitable connections. I have shown a plate at i, a stud atlf, and a right and felt hand screw-stud at I, as either character ot' stud may be employed, as most convenient or best adapted to the particular instrument.

The mode of' tting shown in Fig. 2 is the same as that in Fig. l, only the ring b is shown as made of metal instead ot' wood, in which case the straining-screws are best when made as a fork riveted to the said ring b. In these two figures, l and 2, the surface of the head is maintained at the saine level as the finger-rest e, whether strained or not. In cheap banjos, however, the ring j" might be dispensed with, as seen in Fig. 3, the adjustment being between the rings b and c, as before` but the circular case d being at'ached directly to the ring b.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The rings b and c within the cylinder of` the banjo pressed apart by screws to strain the head, as specified.

2. The ring f,in combination with the rings b and c and cylinder d, fitted and employed as and for the purposes specified.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my signature this 13th day ot'June,r-\.D.1Sl.`i.

F. iV. HARLASS.

Witnesses:

LEMUEL W. SERRDLL, Trios. Guo. HAROLD. 

